Nothing, Everything
by Owleye321
Summary: What happens when an older Harry attempts to time travel 20 years into the past, but instead finds a world that's similar to his in the broad strokes, but radically different in the details? Will he continue with his plans to change the world? And is he even capable enough to do so if he tries?


The full moon shone ahead, bathing the forest in white light as the cave entrance before them bathed it in blood red. Howls could be heard from afar, from deep within the mountains that lay beyond the cave. Six men stood behind Harry, four old, gripping their ancient staffs with wrinkled hands, and the other two young, nervously holding their rifles close to them. All of them shivered as the moon rose higher, illuminating the warm night further.

Harry didn't look back at them. He walked into the red light of the cave, and he heard the doors slam shut behind them.

The red electric lights along the cave walls were very dim, but having been outside in the dark for hours, they were more than enough for Harry to see everything. Before him stood a monolithic stone structure, towering almost to the top of the cavern dome it was built in. Wooden scaffolding littered the stone walls of the cave itself, creaking under the weight of hundreds of onlookers, and massive holes gaped open behind them, filled to the brim with even more people, despite only those in front even having a chance of seeing him. They were all silent as the grave, though whether that was because of a silencing charm, he didn't know.

The steps of the monolith were steep, reminding Harry of the paintings of American temples that Hermione had once showed him. He'd always planned to see one after the war. The fact that he'd somehow found one in Scotland might have brought him a smile, if the memories of what had happened didn't weigh so heavily on him. And the knowledge of what he must do.

Harry stopped at the base of the pyramid, and heard the four druids stop as well. He gazed up toward the top, at the end of the staircase, and saw a young woman standing there, looking back down at him. She was the only thing in the cavern that wasn't covered in the red glow, instead being silhouetted by the small amount of moonlight entering through a gap in the ceiling. Harry began to climb the stairs toward her.

Even after just a few steps, Harry struggled not to lean forward and put his hands on the steps as he ascended. There had been handrails made of rope the entire way up yesterday, but the druids had removed them while preparing for the ritual. They'd said something about retaining his personal dignity.

Harry didn't know how they did it, especially while carrying those heavy staffs in both hands. He'd been terrified of falling down these steps ever since he'd first found this place. It was ironic, really.

Two of the druids stopped following him a third of the way up, while the other two stopped after they'd ascended the another third of the distance. They turned around and faced away from the path, standing straight with their heads held high. Harry considered putting his hands on the stone steps as he left them behind, knowing that it would help calm his nerves, but held himself back instead. He knew the druids were right, the crowd needed to see that Harry wasn't afraid of what the future might bring, even if he had more to fear than any of them. They would hopefully, after all, not have to face the horror that the future currently held.

Harry tried to look up toward the peak again, hoping to take his mind off that temptation. He was thankful he had almost reached the top, not looking at his feet was almost as terrifying as looking down, and he wasn't sure he could've kept doing it if there'd been much further to go. A beautiful red haired woman was perched at the top watching him, herself trying to stay calm at the dizzying heights beneath them. As Harry ascended the last few feet, she stepped back twice, giving him room to stand where she had just been. The faint red glow from the cavern below vanished from her relieved face as she did, and Harry gave a tight smile to the woman he'd known for so many years.

Ginny smiled back at him, hers much more genuine. They stood there, staring at each other longingly, until she broke the silence.

"I'm glad you made it up."

"So am I." Harry's voice sounded much tenser than he thought it would, and Ginny looked at him with worry. He could tell she didn't believe him.

"You'll do great out there. I know you will. And if you don't, I'll come back after you and hit you!" She grinned at him, but Harry couldn't find it in him to smile back. Her face dropped, and she gave him a pouting look, the one she usually showed him when she felt she just had to get her way on something. "Just smile for me, one last time."

He couldn't, and he dropped his head in shame, unwilling to look at her. She stepped forward and threw her arms around him, pulling him in close as they stood at the precipice. She brought an arm up to his side as she tickled him slightly, but Harry's heart was already pounding at the heights beside them, and he simply brushed her hand away and embraced her back. The red glow beneath them flickered off, leaving an empty abyss in its wake, and the two separated at the signal. The electric humming from the lights faded, leaving them in complete silence.

They both looked up at each other when they heard it. A body falling down the steps. Then another. Then, two more. Ginny looked into his eyes and smiled reassuringly, even as tears began to roll down her face. Harry stared back at her. Despite it being her last wish, even though she was capable of smiling at him at a time like this, he couldn't. He bowed his head slightly, stepped forward, and cut her throat with the dagger he'd had on his belt.

She fell back quietly, spread eagle, into a dip on the otherwise flat peak of the pyramid. The dip was only a few inches tall, but was several meters wide, and quickly began to fill with blood, much faster than it should have. Harry closed his eyes before he could see whether her eyes were still open, and took several steps back. He could feel when he'd missed the first step, and brought his arms out wide as he began to fall. He heard a woman screaming before he felt his head hit the stone.

He'd thought he would see his entire life pass by before him after he died. He had read that that had happened to people who had accomplished similar things. This had been a certainty for him, he and Hermione had seen the world reverse itself when they'd traveled back in time, after all.

He'd expected to see the first time he'd discovered The Mountain Within The Mountain, the place that would be his home after years of searching. He'd expected to see the the moment when he'd first read about the Time Travel Ritual, which could send people years, even decades into the past. He'd expected to see the spark in Hermione's eyes when she realized they might be able to travel to the past to defeat Voldemort, right before they'd gotten ambushed in the Death Chamber.

Instead, Harry saw nothing. All he experienced was the screams of the woman he'd heard in the distance, in his final moments, echoing forever.


End file.
